Olivia Munn's Acne Trials: Cortisone Shots, Acid Peels & More

Proactiv spokesperson shares blemish tips and makeup go-tos

By Diana Nguyen Jun 16, 2017 11:04 PMTags
Watch: Olivia Munn Reveals Skin Care Secrets

Even celebrities get pimples—Olivia Munn included.

At the ProactivMD pop-up shop in NYC, the 36-year-old actress promoted the launch of the brand's acne-fighting Essentials System while sharing her own trials with annoying blemishes.

Like everyone else in Hollywood, the Ocean's Eight star has tried cortisone shots, a steroid injection that reduces inflammation and flattens out cystic acne in as fast as a few hours.

"Actually, there a lot of actors who I know…a lot of the guys that I'll work with, they'll say, ‘You don't get the cortisone shot?' I'm like, ‘How do you know about that?'" Olivia told E! News. "The only problem is that it can sometimes collapse your skin, so you can literally get a divot in your skin."

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The actress, who's been dealing with acne since 16, has tried other techniques as well.

"I've done cortisone. I did the toothpaste on it. I've done the acids—like you know that thing when you feel like I have to basically rip off my skin to start anew? I've basically tried all those," she admitted.

We feel you, girl. Nowadays, the actress doesn't run the risk of permanently denting her money maker. If she feels a breakout coming, Olivia will apply an on-the-spot treatment before it gets worse.

Joey Andrew/startraksphoto.com

"I think my first tip is don't wait—if you start to feel it, put something on immediately, and if you don't happen to have [spot treatment] with you, use a warm wash cloth because it will either make the pimple go down or it will bring it up so you can then try to take care of it," she suggested. "But don't pop."

If you can't fight the urge, "take needle-nose tweezers (the really, really super-sharp ones) and you can take the top of the pimple off," suggested the star, who admitted that she has a bad habit of picking her face with the tool during flights.

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Not only is the actress a big proponent of healthy skin care, but she's a wealth of knowledge. For the best beauty advice Olivia's ever received, she can thank her mom, who told her to wear sunglasses all the time so she won't get wrinkles from squinting. Simple but effective.

When the actress isn't watching YouTube tutorials by Asian women to learn what's best for her own skin (which she recommends for everyone), she enjoys the process of putting on makeup.

Her favorites include Proactiv Mark Correcting Pads, Green Tea Moisturizer, Chanel Les Beiges Foundation mixed with lumiere oil, concealer, highlighter, L'Oréal lip stains and matte colors, and Revlon Cream Blushes, she shared. "Because you can use it for your eyes, lips...cream blush can go a long way."

When you look good, you feel good.